Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 May;12(5):20-26.
Epub 2019 May 1.

The Potential Uses of N-acetylcysteine in Dermatology: A Review

Monica Janeczek  1 , Lauren Moy  1 , Alexandria Riopelle  1 , Olivia Vetter  1 , Jeave Reserva  1 , Rebecca Tung  1 , James Swan  1
Affiliations
Review

The Potential Uses of N-acetylcysteine in Dermatology: A Review

Monica Janeczek et al. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2019 May.

Abstract

Background: In recent studies, N-acetylcysteine has been shown to be efficacious in several dermatologic conditions. Objective: The aim was to review clinical trials that assess the efficacy of N-acetylcysteine in cutaneous disorders. Design: The PubMed database was searched and a manual search of clinical trials in the references was performed. Studies included randomized, controlled studies, uncontrolled studies, meta-analyses, and systemic reviews published between years 1966 and 2017. Results: Efficacy of N-acetylcysteine was shown in excoriation disorder, onychophagia disorder, trichotillomania, acne vulgaris, Type I lamellar ichthyosis, bullous morphea, systemic sclerosis, toxic epidermal necrolysis, atopic dermatitis, xeroderma pigmentosum, and pseudoporphyria. Studies also show benefits in wound healing and photoprotection. Conclusion: The review of available literature suggests that N-acetylcysteine could potentially serve as a safe, tolerable, and effective therapeutic option for a variety of dermatologic conditions.

Keywords: N-acetylcysteine; dermatological disorder; intravenous therapy; oral therapy; pharmacology; topical therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

FUNDING:No funding was received for this study. DISCLOSURES:The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to the content of this article.

References

    1. Hutter D, Greene JJ. Influence of the cellular redox state on NF-kappaB-regulated gene expression. J Cell Physiol. 2000;183(1):45–52. - PubMed
    1. Sheffner AL, Medler EM, Bailey KR, et al. Metabolic studies with acetylcysteine. Biochem Pharmacol. 1966;15(10):1523–1535. - PubMed
    1. Wong JW, Koo JY. Delusions of parasitosis. Indian J Dermatol. 2013;58(1):49–52. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Middelveen MJ, Strieker RB. Morgellons disease: a filamentous vorrelial dermatitis. Int J Gen Med. 2016;9:349–354. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Arnold LM, Auchenbach MB, McElroy SL. Psychogenic excoriation: clinical features, proposed diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, and approaches to treatment. CNS Drugs. 2001;15(5):351–359. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources